Burning Gold
by Oh My Gold
Summary: The dark castle was engulfed by a bright, gold, glittering, smoke. Rumple took the potion, changed himself into the man he thought Belle deserved, without a second thought as to the price he would have to pay. Belle doesn't realise that the man who saved her life, that she's falling in love with is Rumple in disguise. Set after 'Skin Deep', FTL, No curse, Slight AU. Major Rumbelle.
1. Chapter 1

**This is set after immediately after Rumple kicks Belle out of the dark castle in 'Skin Deep'. It will be set in FTL, haven't got it all planned, so open to suggestions.**

**Summery- After rescuing Belle, Rumple changes his appearance to look like the man he think's Belle deserves and wants, she has no idea that it's really Rumple. He doesn't think of the price he has to pay for transforming himself.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Burning Gold

_And all you'll have left is and empty heart…..And a chipped cup_

Her voice floated around his head, her soft, sweet, accent wouldn't leave him alone, although her words cut him in a way no one else's words ever had, even Mila calling him a coward and telling him how she wished he was dead, hadn't hurt like this, he still felt some comfort in Belle's words.

It was because she'd said them with such emotion and passion dripping from every word, perhaps it was a sign, it really was a sign that she did truly care for him, that she loved him.

The fleeting kiss they had shared, the one born of true love, the one that almost had him changing into the man he was, the man Belle had made him want to be. As he thought of the kiss that they had shared he found himself, touching his lips with his dirty long talons.

It all proved that she was right, oh that beautiful women was always right. He was a coward, he'd gotten rid of her, not that he didn't feel the same way about her as she'd indicated that she'd loved him but because he didn't think that a beautiful creature such as Belle, didn't deserve to be burdened with the ugly, old, beast, monster that he was.

She deserved far better than the coward her was, a real strong man, who was handsome and a proper gentlemen, who had more to offer her than a large, dark, dusty, cold, cluttered castle. She deserved more than what Rumple could offer her.

The imp looked around his grand hall, around him lay a mix of shattered glass, splinters of wood and shards of broken vases and other antiques he had collected in his three hundred years in this world. All broken because of him and a fit of rage, the stick which had been his tool to cause such devastation lay beside the evidence on the floor, everything looking rather like a crime scene.

Rumplestiltskin noted how the glass shone in the sunlight that streamed in to the room from where a curtain no longer hung over the window like the others, it had been where Belle had pulled it down and almost killed herself in the process, luckily he had caught her. It had been the catalyst that started it all.

His dark, golden eyes shifted to the chipped cup that he'd placed on a small plinth in the middle of the room, it was her cup, his cup, their cup, it was chipped, it was all he had left.

Reaching out for it, Rumple enjoyed the smoothness of the china cup against the scaly, roughness of his skin, taking comfort in the sharpness of the small chip in the golden rim. He needed her, his heart began to beat fast, he wanted her, he had to know if she was okay, if she'd found somewhere, how heartless was he to leave her to walk alone and vulnerable in a woods she didn't know.

As fast as he could he walked to the nearest cloth covered mirror and pulled off the dusty cloth, not caring that for a moment the Evil Queen Regina could see him. "Show me Belle" He demanded.

He watched as the reflection of his beastly form wobbled and shacked in the mirror and soon a new image appeared. It was Belle, walking through the woods, her aqua blue cloak around her, covering her chestnut curls.

His heart rate began to slow, she was okay, she was finding a place to go, she wasn't hurt like he'd thought she may be, she really was the strong brave women he knew she was.

When Rumple was about to turn away, satisfied that she was okay, he noticed two black figures come out of the over growth behind Belle, he noted that the women's pace began to quicken but one of the men grabbed her by the waist before shoving her to the floor, despite how she tried to fight back she couldn't. the words 'Rumple' tumbled from her lips like a silent wish for hope in the darkness.

Rumple had seen enough, he closed his eyes and thought of Belle and where she was and in moments he was surrounded by a purple smoke.

…c\_'/….

It had happened so fast that Belle couldn't really comprehend what was happening to her, she'd been walking alone in the woods, her heart breaking from being rejected by the man she loved, the man that had held her captive in so many ways, in a deal, in her love for him.

She'd felt like was being watched and so she'd decided to walk faster but then she'd felt a strange arm around her waist, then before she knew it, Belle felt like her whole world had been turned upside down, she found herself laying on her back in the dirt road.

The words 'Rumple' fell from her lips without her even really realising it, everything was hazy, the men kept asking her where she thought she was going and where it was that she managed to afford such nice clothing.

"Leave me alone" she yelled at them as one man began to feel up her skirt making her feel very very uncomfortable. "Don't you dare touch me" she kicked the more _handsey _ man hard in the leg.

"Oh, so she's brave" the other man grabbed Belle by the throat and squeaked hard making her choke and writhe on the floor for air, but it was no use, she was losing air and fast.

Just as the Auburn haired women was about to lose consciousness all together she could have sworn she'd seen a familiar puff of purple smoke before she was gone.

"No dearie you are the brave ones" Rumplestiltskin appeared from the shadows, his voice squeaking as he spoke, rolling all of his 'R's'. "Touching, what's mine" he added with a slight possessive tone.

"The Dark one" the man holding Belle's throat let go and fell to his knees in mercy of the all-powerful beast.

Rumple just chuckled before waving a hand, causing both men to disappear, leaving him with an unconscious Belle. He knelt at her side, lifting her gently in his arms before ghosting a hand up and down her body checking her for injuries. He was relieved to find that she was not harmed, except a few minor bruises and grazes.

Once again he clicked his fingers and both he and Belle were in the confines Dark Castle. At First he wasn't sure what he should do, he could wipe her memory and pretend that the previous day had never happened, that he'd never thrown her out, but then, it always came with a price and he wasn't willing to find out what it was.

His second option was to make her comfortable in one of his many spare rooms and wait until morning, until she woke and found herself here again, until she saw him, or until she tried to flee without him knowing, but of course he would know.

Rumple decided the second option was better, at least that way it was up to Belle, she could decide her fate, she always did, he would always let her, she was strong and brave, she didn't need him, not how he needed her.

Moments later her placed her under the white silk sheets which were covered in a winding rose pattern, made from the finest woven gold, the gold he spun from straw. She looked so peaceful as she slept, somehow even more beautiful an angelic if that was possible.

"Sleep well, Belle" he whispered to her before creeping out of the room and into the hallway, once the door was closed he took a moment to breath. He wished somehow there was a third option, some way he could make sure she got the ending with the prince charming she deserved.

An idea hit him after a couple of moments, the idea could lead to a happy ending for both He and Belle. What if he conducted a potion that would change Rumple's appearance? It could change him from looking like the beast he was to the prince she deserved, meanwhile she could be none the wiser, he could pretend that this perfect man he now would be had saved her from the ghastly men.

A delightful, high pitched giggle left his mouth as he practically skipped down the long, dark hall to the highest tower, to his potion room, where he would spend the whole night finding the recipe for and concocting the potion he needed for his transformation.

As the dawn of the next day began to broke, the dark castle was engulfed by a bright, gold, glittering, smoke. Rumple took the potion, changed himself into the man he thought Belle deserved, without a second thought as to the price he would have to pay.

…c\_'/….

**Please tell me what you thought, it would mean a lot.**

**Thanks OMG…..**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sun light crept into the large bedroom, landing right on Belle's face, she began to squirm under the light on her face, she was having a beautiful dream, she really didn't want to wake up to the harsh reality but knew she had no choice, she had to.

Her blue eyes flicker open, this wasn't the woods or the ditch she'd planned to be waking up in. Instead she was in an unfamiliar room, the walls were a simple yet elegant cream to match the cream silk bed covers.

She pushed them off of herself, at least she still wore her blue dress, although it was a smudged with dirt and grass stains she didn't care, Rumple had given it to her, it was all she had left of him.

After a couple of moments Belle swung her legs out of the bed and tried to stand, however they were just too weak from all the walking of the day before and she fell to the ground with a large 'thud'.

"Careful Dea…." An almost familiar voice trailed off as they helped lift her back into the bed.

Belle blinked for a moment, she hadn't even heard the other person come into the room, even more so she'd never seen them before in her life, his appearance shocked her.

The man was tall, slender, impeccably well dressed in dark trousers and dark navy blue over coat, his face was rather handsome, square jawed, dark brown eyes and his hair shoulder length, almost a dirty blond and fell over his face a little, he couldn't have been much older than she.

"How did I get here?" Belle asked him, looking around at the lavish room.

"I found you in the woods, some hooligans were trying to take advantage of you" the mysterious man informed her with a small smile, something about him in the way he spoke and looked at her was familiar, almost Rumpelstiltskin like, but yet he couldn't be, Belle shook the thought away and put the feeling down to the fact she missed and loved him so.

"I remember" Belle nodded, touching her forehead as it throbbed, "Thank you for letting me spend the night but I must be on my way" She spoke softly before trying to get out of the bed but the man eased her back into the bed.

"You must stay for a while, at least until you are better" The man assured her.

Belle could hardly believe what a kind soul this man was, helping a young women in need, letting her stay with him, "Thank you, I'm Belle" she introduced herself.

"Belle…..What a lovely name" he smiled at her and then realised she was waiting for a name from him, he had to think fast. "I'm….Rum…..ford, Rumford Spinnersten at your service m'lady" he gave her a small bow.

"Rumford, what an unusual name" Belle mused, obviously wasn't as bad as Rumpelstiltskin, she laugh to herself.

"It's a family name" He mumbled, "I shall bring you some tea" he suggested knowing that would make her feel better.

"I can….." Belle began but he cut her off.

"No no, you're my guest" he nodded to her lightly before walking out of the bedroom.

Once she heard the soft sound of the door shutting behind her Belle snuggled down into the large king size bed, "Rumford" she repeated the name on her tongue and smiled to herself.

…C\_'/….

Outside of the bedroom, Rumplestiltskin or Rumford's heart was beating the fastest it ever had, he was sure that she would have seen right through him but it seemed she hadn't.

"Tea, tea, tea" he mumbled as he walked down the winding staircase, he stopped for a moment and looked at himself in the mirror, he liked the way he looked now, younger, fitter, the sort of man he wanted to be for Belle.

In the mere hours since his transformation, he'd found that he had a spring in his step, a smile seemed to fall easily onto his face, his hair was thicker, no longer grey, he also found some of his clothes fitted better.

He almost regretted not doing this years ago, it had never occurred to Rumple that with his magical skills he would be able to transform his own appearance.

Rumple had also found that his castle had changed, it was no longer dark, light flooded into every room and he didn't mind at all, there were also new items of furniture, but his spinning wheel still remained as did the tea set with the chipped cup, he knew though he would have to hide both or Belle may come across them and realise how he was deceiving her.

Although he didn't see it as deceiving her, he saw it as a way of loving her, of giving them both a happy ending, she wouldn't have to be saddled with a beast and he would get to be with the women he loved.

It was then that realisation took him, he would have to get Belle to fall in love with the new him first before he even started thinking of the future, with her. Well he would have to start with a cup of tea.

Soon he found himself back outside of Belle's bedroom, he held a tray of a pot of tea, two cups, (Not from the set they'd both grown to love in the Dark Castle) some warmed muffins knowing she was probably hungry and a single red rose.

He knocked on the door lightly and waited to hear a 'come in' before he opened the door and walked in, "hello again Ms Belle" he greeted as he made his way over to her.

"Please call me Belle" She asked her blue eyes shining as she smiled at him.

"Then you must call me Rum, Rumford is far too long" he admitted, a new identity might be nice to try something new out with his name.

"Okay Rum" Belle gave him a small smile as he placed the tray onto the bedside cabinet.

Belle saw the rose and a breath caught in her throat, it made her think of Rumple, of how he'd pushed her out and rejected her love even though it was obvious he loved her in return but was just too much of a coward to admit it.

"Is everything okay Belle?" Rumple asked having noticed the change in the beautiful women in front of him.

"I'm fine" she mumbled drawing in a shaky breath to get her emotions in check "the rose just reminded me of someone" she admitted.

Her admission broke and warmed Rumple's heart all at once. It warmed him to know that she still cared for him even though he'd cast her aside but it broke him to see her so heartbroken at what he'd done both by putting the rose there and also for his past actions towards her.

"I can get rid of it" He leaned over to grab it but Belle's hand grabbed his wrist to stop his actions, something that sent a chill up his spine and straight to his heart. Their eyes locked for a moment, blue and brown staring at one another.

"Leave it" she spoke softly before she herself picked up the rose and brought it to her nose to smell the fragrance "It's beautiful" she smiled at him.

Rumple wanted to say 'as are you' but decided to bite him tongue, he would make that comment another time. "Tea?" he asked her after a moment.

"Yes thank you" Belle nodded as he poured her a cup and passed it to her carefully and watched as she took a long healthy gulp and let the liquid warm her throat.

"Good?" he asked her.

"Very" she nodded, few men she knew could make a cup of tea as good as that, actually the more she thought about it, it was only one man that could make tea that tasty.

Rumple then pulled a chair up to the bed "Now tell me, what was a fair maiden like you doing wandering the woods late and night, all by herself?" he asked her.

Belle sat up a little in the bed, "Well I….was dismissed from my post as a caretaker for a man's large estate" she began "I then went to my father but he had no interest in me, told me I had been tainted by my last employer so …I….I was just trying to find somewhere to go" she finished, trying to not let it slip who her last 'employer' had been otherwise she was sure that he would tell her to leave just as both the men she'd ever loved had.

Rumple wanted to gut Maurice like a fish for how he treated his daughter, who cared if he was the king, she should have been a father first and foremost. If he ever had the pleasure of meeting that odious man again he would show him how dark he could be.

She needed a home was the other thing that was rolling around in his mind, he had a home, this could be her home as it had not long ago.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like" he informed her, "What is mine is yours" he gave her a small smile.

Belle looked at this man in front of her, there was something about her, she wasn't sure what it was, something to safe, so homely, so caring, so familiar she just couldn't put her finger on it.

TBC….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Rumple/Rumford and Belle had finished their tea, the beauty had slept for the rest of the day, the look on her face had been one such of peace that he hadn't wanted to wake her for lunch or dinner, he decided that she should be left to wake when she felt she wanted to.

Instead Rumple found himself sitting in the library, he'd created for her, only now with his new spell it was lighter and somehow seemed to have more books, something he knew Belle would love.

He sat in one of two arm chairs by the fire, a book open on his lap but he wasn't reading, not really. His mind was clouded with thoughts, thoughts of the women who slept upstairs, who he was lying to. Despite his new look inside he was still the cowardly monster, he was still afraid that Belle could find out that Rumford, her brave knight in shining armour was indeed Rumpelstiltskin the very monster who had cast her out just because she loved him she would most certainly leave him.

Rumple threw the book from his lap onto the floor and stood up from the arm chair, running a hand through his new sandy coloured hair as he walked over to the mirror that hung above the fire place and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to look at his reflection only to see that he'd gone back to looking like the monster he'd been, the green scales, greasy, unruly hair, soulless dark eyes, yellow teeth.

"NO!" He almost howled this couldn't be true, it just couldn't be happening, the potion was supposed to last, not wear off after a couple of days. Slamming his hands down on the mantel peace, he looked down, a lock of his dirty blond hair falling over his face.

He took a sharp intake of breath, almost like a gasp of air, he still had dirty blond hair, still had human hands. It must mean that it was just his reflection that reflected who he was under the spell, the monster and coward he was on the inside.

In his haste Rumple snapped his fingers to cover all of the mirrors with cloths, it didn't work at first, perhaps it was just his hurried state, so he snapped his fingers again, this time it worked. Just in time he heard a creak on the stairs.

Rumple turned to find Belle standing in the doorway of the library, he brown curls a mess and she wore a long white night gown, to him she looked like a celestial angel, breath takingly beautiful as usual. "Belle…Your awake" He observed.

"Yes, I have been a sleep for a while haven't I" Belle almost chatted nervously, she still felt a little awkward around Rumford, being here with him, she couldn't help but think of Rumplestiltskin who was all alone in his dark castle.

"You obviously needed it" Rum smiled at her as Belle looked around at the library, it was only a little bigger than the one Rumple had given her but this room was lighter so it seemed bigger. "Would you like some food, some tea?" He asked her.

"I would prefer to get out these clothes" Belle explained "Have a bath perhaps" she added.

"Of course" Rumford said with a slight flourish of his hand as he spoke. Belle eyed the action carefully, it hurt so much that it reminded her of Rumple, she wished there was a way that she could get Rumple back, but for the moment Rumford had taken her in when no one else would and so she would try to focus on him and the home he offered.

…C\_'/….

After a long soak in a hot bath, Belle was beginning to feel like herself again, she walked back to her bedroom, where she found a dress laid out for her on the bed, it was the colour of deep wine with a fine golden trim. She touched the cloth gently with her finger, never had she seen such a fine dress, she wondered if it had belonged to someone before and if so, if it had been someone that Rumford had loved.

Once she'd changed into the dress and pinned her hair up in her usual fashion Belle made her way down the long winding staircase and began to wander the large estate, her finger gracefully running along the dark oak bannister. It reminded her very much of the dark castle, she wasn't sure exactly why that was. She wondered perhaps it was because it had been her home, a place she longed to go back to, she supposed everything would remind her of the man she loved, she just had to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, he didn't love her, he didn't want her.

She walked around another corner and saw that there was a light coming from a room, she knocked on the door gently "Come in" came Rumford's lightly accented voice. Belle pushed the large wooden door open with a large grunt, her having to use all of her strength to open them, her bones still ached after the ordeal in the woods.

The room on the other side of the door was beautiful. In the middle of the long thin room there sat a large dark wood dining table, chairs draped with red cloth surrounded it, there was a whole feast on the dining table. At the far end of the room there was a large fireplace a fire was already roaring, ensconcing the room in an orange hue.

Leaning again the mantel piece wearing the same long Navy blue over coat and tight leather black trousers and leather boots stood Rumford Spinnerstern. "Belle, how are you feeling?" he asked her, a soft smile graced his features as he took her in.

"I'm feeling much better" she assured him with a curt nod as she smoothed down the skirt of her dress "Thank you for the dress, it's beautiful" she added.

"It was nothing" he assured her "You look breath taking" he added before turning to the table of food "Please help yourself to food, you haven't eaten in a while"

"Thank you" Belle nodded before moving over to the table and taking a seat "Will you join me" she asked him as she sat down, Rumford nodded before taking a seat beside the beauty. They sat in a comfortable silence as Belle ate food and they both took small sips of the red wine that had been on the table.

"Do you live here all alone?" Belle asked Rumford after a moment.

He looked over the rim of his wine glass at her, his dark brown eyes meeting her blue, he gulped down his mouthful of wine, "I had family once but they all left me" he admitted, it was true, his father had traded him for youth, his first wife had left him for a pirate and his son had become lost to him.

"Oh" Belle looked down at the food on her plate "I'm sorry" she admitted, feeling bad that he didn't have a family, that he didn't know love, she at least loved Rumpelstiltskin.

"And a beautiful women like you, you don't have a love?" he asked her.

Belle gave him a soft smile and shook her head "I love a man but he won't accept it" she admitted.

"Your former employer?" he asked her, hoping that she was indeed talking about him even though she didn't know it.

Rumple noticed the uncomfortable look Belle gave him, she pushed her plate away from herself "I'm feeling rather tired, I'm going to retire for the evening, if that is alright" she avoided his last question.

"Of course" Rumford nodded, "sleep well…..Belle" perhaps it hadn't been him Belle had been talking about, though, he did wonder who else it could be. Rumple stifled a yawn he himself felt more tired than he had in many many years, perhaps he was coming down with something.


End file.
